DOCSLIB.ORG

Women, Peace and Security’ and the UN Security Agenda

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Women, Peace and Security’ and the UN Security Agenda International Norms and Political Change: ‘Women, Peace and Security’ and the UN Security Agenda Torunn L. Tryggestad Peace Research Institute Oslo, PRIO Submitted to the Department of Political Science Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, May 2014 © Torunn L. Tryggestad, 2014 Series of dissertations submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo No. 491 ISSN 1504-3991 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission. Cover: Hanne Baadsgaard Utigard. Printed in Norway: AIT Oslo AS. Produced in co-operation with Akademika publishing, Oslo. The thesis is produced by Akademika publishing merely in connection with the thesis defence. Kindly direct all inquiries regarding the thesis to the copyright holder or the unit which grants the doctorate. Acknowledgements The work on this doctoral dissertation has been carried out at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), where I since 2006 have been employed as researcher and leader of an applied research project funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although the contents of this dissertation are my sole responsibility, there are a number of people who in different ways have contributed to its completion. To these people I would like to extend some words of thanks. First of all, thanks to Jennifer Bailey, my supervisor. For periods I have been a long lost student, but you have been patient and have not given up on me. Your feedback and our discussions have been extremely valuable and highly appreciated. Among all my great colleagues at PRIO, Helga Hernes deserves special thanks. Not only because of her role as my secondary supervisor, but as treasured mentor and friend. She is always ready to generously share of her wealth of knowledge and experience, and is never afraid of expressing her opinion. Inger Skjelsbæk is another dear colleague and friend. Without you I would probably not have joined PRIO in the first place. Thanks for the many conversations we have had during the course of the years. Thanks for all your wise input and support on both professional and private matters, and for being such a great travel companion. Thanks also to all my colleagues in the PRIO Gender Research Group. You have enriched my understanding of the gendered dimensions of peace and conflict studies. To the ‘PRIO ladies’, Cathrine Bye, Ingeborg Haavardsson and Pinar Tank. Thanks for your friendship, support and all the laughter. Thanks also to Odvar Leine and Olga Baeva at the PRIO library for always being friendly and helpful, and to John Carville (still a ‘PRIO family member’) for his excellent language editing. A number of research assistants have throughout the years provided support in various ways. Thank you so much Ane Sydnes Egeland, Suk Chun and Agnes Harriet Lindberg. A special thanks goes to our current research assistant, Jenny K. Lorentzen. The way you have handled project matters during the spring months of 2014, has i eased the project leader burden for me and made it possible to complete my dissertation as planned. Beyond PRIO, there are a number of individuals I would like to thank for their collegial support and friendship, particularly Anita Schjølset, Louise Olsson, Kristin S. Scharffscher, Lena Kvarving, Randi Solhjell, Niels Nagelhus Schia, Eli Stamnes and Nina Græger. A special thanks to former NUPI colleague and the ‘godmother’ of research on women, peace and security in Norway, Kari Karamé. You showed me the way, also during the early uphill battles, and inspired me to pursue what was a genuine research interest of mine. Thanks also to Anne Julie Semb, who initially served as my PhD supervisor and got me started. Thanks to diplomats within the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who throughout the years have made themselves available for interviews and for helping me gaining access to the UN system. Thanks also to all the other informants to this dissertation project, who generously have taken of their time and granted me interviews. Thanks to my parents, sisters and brothers (and their families) for providing me with a solid basis in life. Last but not least, thanks to my husband Knut and our two daughters, Astrid and Inga. In the last 2-3 months before submitting, you have been patient and learnt to live with a wife and mom who at times has been both physically and mentally absent. Thanks for all your loving support and for providing me with a great solution to all my worries. “Whenever you are in doubt, Mom, just think that you are a superstar”! I am indebted and grateful to all of you. Thank you! Torunn L. Tryggestad Oslo, May 2014 ii Abbreviations AU African Union CSW Commission on the Status of Women DAW Division for the Advancement of Women EU European Union G-77 Group of developing countries G-8 Group of leading industrialised countries ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross INSTRAW International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women IPI International Peace Institute MAPs Monthly Action Points NAP National Action Plan NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NGO Non-Governmental Organization OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe OSAGI Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues PRIO Peace Research Institute Oslo SRSG Special Representative of the Secretary-General UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women UNSCR United Nations Security Council Resolution UN PBC UN Peacebuilding Commission UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women US United States USA United States of America WEOG Western European States and Other Group WGLL Working Group on Lessons Learned WILPF Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom WPS Women, Peace and Security iii Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... i Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. iii PART I ....................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Why Research on ‘Women, Peace and Security’? .......................................... 4 1.2.1 ‘Women’s Issues’ in International Relations/UN Peace and Conflict Studies Literature ................................................................................. 5 1.3 Research Questions .......................................................................................... 8 1.4 Key Concepts and Definitions ......................................................................... 9 1.4.1 International Norms ............................................................................. 9 1.4.2 The Women, Peace and Security Norm .............................................. 10 1.5 Dissertation Delimitation ............................................................................... 13 1.6 Dissertation Structure..................................................................................... 14 2. The Analytical and Theoretical Framework ...................................................... 16 2.1 Global Governance and the Role of Non-State Actors .................................. 16 2.2 Transnational Advocacy Networks ................................................................ 19 2.3 Norms in International Relations ................................................................... 23 2.3.1 The ‘Norm Life Cycle’ ........................................................................ 25 2.3.2 Norm Cascading ................................................................................. 28 2.4 The Changing Concept of Security and ‘New Wars’ .................................... 30 2.4.1 The Changing Concept of Security ..................................................... 30 2.4.2. The ‘New Wars’ ................................................................................. 32 2.4.3 The Construction of Gender in War ................................................... 33 3. Research Methodology .......................................................................................... 35 3.1 Research Design ............................................................................................ 36 3.2 Process Tracing .............................................................................................. 37 3.3 Sampling of Interviewees .............................................................................. 39 3.4 Sources of Data .............................................................................................. 42 3.4.1 Official/Formal Documents ................................................................ 43 3.4.2. Secondary Literature ......................................................................... 45 3.4.3. Interviews .......................................................................................... 47 3.4.4 Participant Observation ..................................................................... 49 iv 3.5 Reflections on Methodology .......................................................................... 50 4. Article Findings ....................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Women in Legislative Politics : a Comparative Study of Canada, Norway and Sweden
    Women in Legislative Politics : A Comparative Study of Canada, Norway and Sweden Michelle Johnston Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia December, 1996 Q Copyright by Michelle Johnston, 1996 1SI Nationai Library Eiwrorneque nanonaie of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie Wellington Ottawa ON KI A ON4 OuawaON KlAOlr14 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant à la National Libraq of Canada to BLbliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la foxme de microfiche/filrn, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts eom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Table of Contents iv List of Tables v Abstract vi Abbreviations vii . Acknowledgments Vlll Chapter 1- Introduction 1 Chapter 2- A Feminist Critique of Liberal Democratic Theory 9 Chapter 3- The Impact of Second-Wave Feminisrn on Women's Politicai Representation in the Canadian, Norwegian, and Swedish Parliaments. 35 Chapter 4- Wornen's Recniitment and Selection into Political Parties in Canada, Norway and Sweden.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender Stereotyping of Political Candidates an Experimental Study of Political Communication
    Nordicom Review 28 (2007) 1, pp. 17-32 Gender Stereotyping of Political Candidates An Experimental Study of Political Communication TORIL AALBERG & ANDERS TODAL JENSSEN Abstract Electoral research has demonstrated how men and women sometimes have different po- litical preferences. Men are typically thought to be more concerned about taxation, busi- ness policies, etc., while women care more about issues related to the welfare state. Thus, it seems obvious that stereotyping influences candidate evaluation with regard to issue competence. In this article, we investigate whether stereotyping also influences how the electorate views the communication skills of the candidates. We ask whether the gender of politicians affects the way citizens evaluate various aspects of the qualities of a political speech, and thus their support for political parties. The experiment used in this study is based on a pre- and post-stimuli questionnaire. Stimuli are videotapes of genuine politi- cal speeches (originally given by party leaders in October 2000) performed for the experi- ment by one female and one male actor. Our main finding is that the male “politician” was believed to be more knowledgeable, trustworthy and convincing than the female “politi- cian” even though they presented the same speech verbatim. These differences in scores were the result of the male part of the audience consistently rating the female lower and the male higher than did the females in the audience. Among the female audience, the two politicians received almost identical scores on all traits. The candidate’s popularity and the popularity of the candidate’s party were also affected by the gender of the politician who performed the speech.
    [Show full text]
  • Speaker Bios
    Women & War Book Launch and Symposium Power and Protection in the 21st Century May 5 and 6, 2011 Participant Bios Sanam Anderlini Executive Director/GNWP Adviser International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini is the co-founder of the International Civil society Action Network (ICAN) (www.icanpeacework.org), a US-based NGO dedicated to supporting civil society activism in peace and security in conflict affected countries. For over a decade she has been a leading international advocate, researcher, trainer and writer on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In 2000 she was among civil society drafters of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Between 2002 and 2005 as Director of the Women Waging Peace Policy Commission, Ms. Anderlini led ground breaking field research on women’s contributions to conflict prevention, security and peacemaking in 12 countries. Since 2005 she has also provided strategic guidance and training to key UN agencies, the UK government and NGOs worldwide, including leading a UNFPA/UNDP needs assessment into Maoist cantonment sites in Nepal. Between 2008 -2010 Ms. Anderlini was Lead Consultant for a 10-country UNDP global initiative on “Gender, Community Security and Social Cohesion" with a focus on men's experiences in crisis settings. She has served on the Advisory Board of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), and was appointed to the Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) on Resolution 1325, chaired by Mary Robinson in 2010. She has written extensively on women and conflict issues including Women Building Peace: What they do, why it matters ( Rienner, 2007) and What the Women Say: Participation and SCR 1325 (MIT/ICAN 2010).
    [Show full text]
  • Women & War Book Launch and Symposium
    Women & War Book Launch and Symposium Power and Protection in the 21st Century May 5 and 6, 2011 Participant Bios Sanam Anderlini Executive Director/GNWP Adviser International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini is the co-founder of the International Civil society Action Network (ICAN) (www.icanpeacework.org), a US-based NGO dedicated to supporting civil society activism in peace and security in conflict affected countries. For over a decade she has been a leading international advocate, researcher, trainer and writer on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In 2000 she was among civil society drafters of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Between 2002 and 2005 as Director of the Women Waging Peace Policy Commission, Ms. Anderlini led ground breaking field research on women’s contributions to conflict prevention, security and peacemaking in 12 countries. Since 2005 she has also provided strategic guidance and training to key UN agencies, the UK government and NGOs worldwide, including leading a UNFPA/UNDP needs assessment into Maoist cantonment sites in Nepal. Between 2008 -2010 Ms. Anderlini was Lead Consultant for a UNDP global initiative on “Gender, Community Security and Social Cohesion" with a focus on men's experiences. She has served on the Advisory Board of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), and in 2010 she was appointed to the Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) on Resolution 1325, chaired by Mary Robinson. In 2011 she will serve as the Senior Expert in Gender, Peace and Security Issues at the UN’s Mediation Support Unit Standby Team. Ms. Anderlini is a Senior Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Norwegian Centennial Anniversary of Female Vote International Perspectives on Women’S Political Rights and Participation
    LOGO ILLUSTRASJONER Festforedrag med DR. SHIRIN EBADI Norwegian centennial anniversary of female vote International perspectives on women’s political rights and participation CAMILLA COLLETT FREDRIKKE MARIE QVAM GINA KROG FERNANDA NISSEN 1813–1895 1843–1938 1847–1916 1862–1920 Tuesday 11 June 2013, 12:00–15:00 FARGVenue:ER Student Centre, Parkveien 1, Aud. “The Egg” CMYK CMYK CMYK C = 0 % C = 0 % C = 0 % M = 100 % M = 5 % M = 2 % Y = 55 % Y = 10 % Y = 3 % K = 0 % K = 29 % K = 6 % When Norway celebrates PMSthe 1925 centennial anniversaryPMS WARM GRAYof Norwegian 5 PMS women’sWARM GRAY 1 right to vote, the University of Bergen wishes to draw attentionRGB C40048 to the struggleRGB C 2forBEB 7women’s democraticRGB F3F2EF rights and political participation globally. We have invited the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi to give a keynote speech on the political participation of women in Islamic countries especially in Iran. The keynote speech will be followed by a panel debate chaired by professor Siri Gloppen, with expert commentators from different disciplines, countries and fields of expertise. PROGRAM Sirenene, the female students choir at the University of Bergen will open the seminar. Welcome by Astri Andresen, Head of the Jubilee committee. Keynote speech by Dr. Shirin Ebadi. Panel debate with the following participants: • Idelta Rodrigues, Secretary of State for the Promotion and Equality of East Timor • Helga Hernes, Senior Adviser at PRIO • Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås, Minister of International Development • Drude Dahlerup, Professor em., Stockholm University • Anne Hellum, Professor, University of Oslo There will be a short break between Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainable Modernity
    i Sustainable Modernity In the 21st century, Norway, Denmark and Sweden remain the icons of fair societies, with high economic productivity and quality of life. But they are also an enigma in a cultural- evolutionary sense: though by no means following the same socio- economic formula, they are all cases of a “non- hubristic”, socially sustainable modernity that puzzles outside observers. Using Nordic welfare states as its laboratory, Sustainable Modernity combines evolutionary and socio- cultural perspectives to illuminate the mainsprings of what the authors call the “well- being society”. The main contention is that Nordic uniqueness is not merely the outcome of one particular set of historical institutional or political arrangements, or sheer historical luck; rather, the high welfare creation inherent in the Nordic model has been predicated on a long and durable tradition of social cooperation, which has interacted with global competitive forces. Hence the socially sustainable Nordic modernity should be approached as an integrated and tightly orchestrated ecosystem based on a complex interplay of cooperative and competitive strategies within and across several domains: normative- cultural, socio- political and redistributive. The key question is: Can the Nordic countries uphold the balance of competition and cooperation and reproduce their resilience in the age of globalization, cultural collisions, the digital economy, the fragmentation of the work/ life div- ision and often intrusive EU regulation? With contributors providing insights from the humanities, the social sciences and evolutionary science, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of political science, sociology, history, institutional eco- nomics, Nordic studies and human evolution studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Variations in Women's Integration in the Militaries of France, Norway, and the United States
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2019 Shoulder to Shoulder Yet Worlds Apart: Variations in Women's Integration in the Militaries of France, Norway, and the United States Kyleanne Hunter University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons Recommended Citation Hunter, Kyleanne, "Shoulder to Shoulder Yet Worlds Apart: Variations in Women's Integration in the Militaries of France, Norway, and the United States" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1665. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1665 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Shoulder to Shoulder Yet Worlds Apart: Variations in Women’s Integration in the Militaries of France, Norway and the United States __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Kyleanne Hunter August 2019 Advisor: Deborah Avant Author: Kyleanne Hunter Title: Shoulder to Shoulder Yet Worlds Apart: Variations in Women’s Integration in the Militaries of France, Norway and the United States Advisor: Deborah Avant Degree Date: August 2019 ABSTRACT Women have become an essential part of Western militaries. Particularly concerning the experience of NATO militaries in Afghanistan, there has been much public attention on the role of women in the military.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of PRIO's Project “Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding”
    Norad report 7/2014 Review of PRIO’s Project Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding Review of PRIO’s Project “Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding” Scanteam Oslo, June 2014 Photo: Wayne Conradie Norad Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation P.O. Box 8034 Dep, NO-0030 OSLO Ruseløkkveien 26, Oslo, Norway Tel: +47 23 98 00 00 Fax: +47 23 98 00 99 ISBN 978-82-7548-737-5 Project: Review of PRIO’s Project “Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding” Client: Norad Period: May – June 2014 Task Team: Ms. Kirsten Sandberg Natvig, Scanteam, team leader Quality Assuror: Mr. Arne Disch, Scanteam Review of PRIO’s Project “Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding” Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................................... iii 1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 1 2 Background and Purpose .................................................................................. 5 2.1 Purpose of the review......................................................................................... 5 3 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Outcome Mapping .............................................................................................. 6 3.2 Workshop to identify likely outcomes ............................................................. 6 3.3 Surveys ................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Feminism, Epistemology & Morality
    Feminism, Epistemology & Morality Cathrine Holst Doctor Rerum Politicarum University of Bergen, Norway 2005 UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN i ISBN 82-308-0062-6 Bergen, Norway 2005 Copyright Printed by: Allkopi Bergen ii Feminism, Epistemology & Morality Cathrine Holst Doctor Rerum Politicarum Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences & Center for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, Faculty of Arts University of Bergen, Norway 2005 iii Preface Funding from NFR’s theory of science project and the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Bergen, made it possible to write this thesis. Several people have read and commented upon previous versions of the thesis or parts of it. Their critique has been extremely valuable to me. I owe all of them something, and some of them a lot (more than they themselves are aware of). I thank them by name as I go along. None of these generous people are responsible for the many weaknesses of this thesis. Thank you, friends and loved ones, you who take care of me, stand by me, and share my commitments and worries. Without your presence, patience and encouragement, I could have done nothing. iv CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………...1 PART I Feminist Epistemology………………………………........................3 CHAPTER 1 SUSAN HAACK’S CRITIQUE OF FEMINIST EPISTEMOLOGY………4 1.0 A feminist epistemology?................................................................................4 1.1 “Confessions of an Old-Fashioned Prig”……………………………………6 1.1.1 Value-free justification of theories……………………………………………………….6
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Conflict (6 Units)
    GENDER AND CONFLICT (6 UNITS) COURSE COORDINATOR: INGER SKJELSBÆK PH. 22 54 77 51 EMAIL [email protected] This course explores the gender dimensions of armed conflict. The different phases of a conflict, the participants, the driving forces, the conduct and the consequences of violence – for each of these, scholars and policy-makers have in recent years become increasingly aware of the difference in the roles and experiences of men and women. In this course, the students will learn how academic research integrates considerations of gender in the study of armed conflict. In the first part of the course, students will be introduced to the different facets of gender theory and its position in studies of armed conflict. Thereafter, seminars will examine in detail several gendered aspects of armed conflict. Among them are the role of women in political decision-making; their role both as perpetrators of violence as combatants (and terrorists) and as victims; and the relationship between masculinity, militarism, and violence. One area of emphasis is the role of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Here, the course examines how gender considerations can be integrated in a state’s foreign policy and translated into actual policy, and how gender mainstreaming can be implemented in international peace operations. The classes will be taught by visiting lecturers, who are leading specialists on their respective topic. The students themselves will play an important role in integrating the components of the course, through class discussions preceding each lecture. Students are expected to have read the relevant literature prior to each seminar, and to have prepared notes for class discussion on the readings and the day’s topic.
    [Show full text]
  • Missing Peace Young Scholars Network U.S
    Missing Peace Young Scholars Network U.S. Institute of Peace Washington DC June 4 – 5, 2015 1 Steering Committee Organizations The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by the US Congress to prevent and mitigate international conflict without resorting to violence. USIP works across the spectrum of international conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and helps societies in the period of post-conflict stabilization. The Center for Gender and Peacebuilding coordinates the gender-related work of the US Institute of Peace, as well as collaborates with national and international organizations, governments, the military and civil society on concerns related to gender, conflict, and peacebuilding. For more go to www.usip.org. Women In International Security (WIIS) is the premier organization in the world dedicated to advancing the leadership and professional development of women in the field of international peace and security. WIIS (pronounced “wise”) sponsors leadership training, mentoring, and networking programs as well as substantive events focused on current policy problems. WIIS also supports research projects and policy engagement initiatives on critical international security issues, including the nexus between gender and security. WIIS is a membership organization and has members –women and men—in 47 countries on 6 continents. It has 6 chapters in the US (California, Colorado, Florida, New England, New York, and Washington DC) and 22 international affiliates located in Africa, Australia, Europe, and Latin America. For more or to become a member go to http://wiisglobal.org/ The Human Rights Center at Berkeley Law conducts research on war crimes and other serious violations of humantiarian law and human rights worldwide.
    [Show full text]
  • The Birth of a Welfare State: Feminists, Midwives, Working Women and the Fight for Norwegian Maternity Leave, 1880-1940
    The Birth of a Welfare State: Feminists, Midwives, Working Women and the Fight for Norwegian Maternity Leave, 1880-1940 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Anna M. Peterson Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Birgitte Søland, Advisor Robin Judd Susan Hartmann Copyright by Anna M. Peterson 2013 Abstract This dissertation analyzes interactions between politicians, bureaucrats and diverse groups of women over the issue of maternity legislation in Norway between 1880 and 1940. It adds to a rich historiographic debate on welfare state development, women’s roles in the creation of welfare policies, the Scandinavian model of welfare and the institutionalization of women’s birth experiences. During the sixty years that this study encompasses, Norwegian maternity legislation underwent drastic and dynamic changes. From their initial implementation in 1892, maternity policies expanded in coverage, application and protections. This dissertation traces the history of this development along several lines, including local and national political processes and women’s collective and individual influence. While women’s access to maternity provisions steadily increased during this period, these achievements were fraught with struggles. Historical context shaped the types of arguments women could use to advance political debates about maternity. In many cases, these hindrances led to the creation of policies that promoted maternity legislation at the expense of certain groups of women’s autonomy. ii Women did not act as a monolithic group when it came to maternity policies. Feminists, midwives and working women actively participated in the creation of Norwegian maternity policies and adapted them to fit their particular needs and interests.
    [Show full text]